Spotlight & Author Interview: Chris Cannon

Burning Bright 

(Going down in flames #5)
by Chris Cannon

Bryn is back for her senior year at the Institute for Excellence, also known as shape-shifting dragon school. She isn’t sure which is scarier, the life-force sucking dragons stalking campus or the fact that she’s officially betrothed to Jaxon, a guy who will never love her. Not that she could ever love him, either… That’s just ridiculous.

Senior year should be fun. Her parents are alive, she’s finally fitting in, and she’s learning how to be a Medic. But what’s with Jaxon giving her strange looks? He runs hot and cold, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a hybrid fire-and-ice-breathing dragon like her. One minute they’re having a great time and the next, she wants to blast a fireball at his head. The marriage contract of doom looms over them–unless this match not made in heaven kindles a flame… 

Publication Date: June 4, 2018 

Publisher: Entangled Teen
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled Publishing

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Author Interview: 

1. To start off this interview I'm going to ask you the age old question, what inspired you to write Burning Bright? 

I knew I wanted to write a shifter series. I’ve always loved dragons. I’d love to be able to blast fireballs at the people who piss me off. I kind of live vicariously through my characters. 

2. While writing your book was there a particular scene or chapter that was fun or challenging to write? 

I loved writing the snarky dialogue between Bryn and Jaxon. There’s a constant loop of smart ass comments running in my brain at all times, but I pick and choose when I say them out loud. My characters can say whatever they want. It’s really fun. 

3. Diversity in books and the publishing industry is a huge topic so I'm curious about your thoughts on it. Whose voices do we see? Whose voices do we need more of? How can authors address that? 

I think there should be books featuring characters of all ethnicities, genders, and orientations. Everyone should be able to pick up a book and read about a character that represents themselves or someone they can personally identify with. 

4. One of our favorite questions to ask is, what is the best advice you have received as a writer or just in general? 

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. This is true in life and in the writing community. 

5. If you had to pick a theme song to your book, what would it be? 

I will Burn by the Incurables. 

6. Now we have come to the end of the interview, our last question to you is, if you had to describe your Burning Bright in 3 words what would they be? 

Snarky kick-ass dragon 

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About the Author:

Chris Cannon is the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series and the Boyfriend Chronicles. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts. 

She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or romantic comedies. 

You can find her online at:

Website | Twitter | Facebook Group | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon

Blog Tour: Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga

 

Kiss of the Royal 

by Lindsey Duga

In the war against the Forces of Darkness, the Royals are losing. Princess Ivy is determined to end this centuries-long conflict once and for all, so her new battle partner must succeed where the others failed. Prince Zach’s unparalleled skill with a sword, enhanced by Ivy’s magic Kiss, should make them an unstoppable pair—but try convincing Zach of that.

Prince Zach has spent his life preparing for battle, but he would rather be branded a heretic than use his lips as nothing more than a way to transfer magic. A kiss is a symbol of love, and love is the most powerful weapon they have—but try convincing Ivy of that.

With the fate of their world on the line, the battlefield has become a testing ground, and only one of them can be right. Falling for each other wasn’t part of the plan—but try convincing their hearts of that.

Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: July 3, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Book Links: iBooks, Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Book Depository, Goodreads

Author Interview:

1. To start off this interview I'm going to ask you the age old question, what inspired you to write Kiss of the Royal?

I like that this is phrased as “what inspired you” because to me, that’s actually different than “what is your inspiration”. But, to give you some context, I’ll address both!

The idea came from the common fairytale trope: True Love’s Kiss. This magical kiss changes frogs into princes, wakes up fair maidens from a coma-like sleep, and even turns princesses into ogres (à la Shrek). I expanded on this idea and asked myself the question, what if these magical kisses became so common that eventually the magic of love itself was lost? Then the story started blooming from there.

So that’s where the idea ultimately came from (using one fairytale in particular as the history of the world’s main source of inspiration) but what really inspired me to write Kiss of the Royal was a scene that popped into my head while I was thinking about the concept. It’s a scene between the two leads--Ivy and Zach--in the midst of one of their many heated arguments. I could picture this scene in my head so vividly I simply had to write the rest of the book for the sake of this one moment.

For readers of the book, I’ll give you a hint: they’re by the fireside.

2. We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist(s)? Was there a real-life inspiration behind them? 

My female protagonist is Princess Ivy Myriana, a direct descendant of the queen who created the world’s first Royal Kiss. Her power is passed down through her children, allowing all Royals to perform Kisses that break curses and cast spells. Because Ivy is the direct descendant, this makes her the most powerful. And when you’re in a five-hundred-year-long war, that’s a lot of pressure. Ivy wants to live up to everyone’s expectations, but she’s constantly plagued by self-doubt thanks to her mother’s criticisms and the deaths of her princes. Enter Zach…

Zach is the opposite of Ivy in almost every way. He’s barely a prince with hardly any magical blood, but he’s a powerful swordsman--so powerful that Ivy believes that with her magic Kiss they could be the best team the world has ever seen. Only he doesn’t believe in what she believes that leads to...complications.

Ivy and Zach’s individual characters weren’t based off any specific people, but their dynamic was. In the 2008 romantic comedy, 27 Dresses, the two main characters are a woman who believes in marriage and a man who seemingly jaded when it comes to love. Their interactions and arguments were a great source of inspiration for Ivy and Zach. In my book though, the genders are reversed, so the boy is the hopeless romantic while the girl is the logic-minded realist.

3. If you were to watch your favorite book (which hasn’t been turned into a real life motion picture) turn into a movie, which would you choose? Or would you rather keep it stayed as a book?

At the moment my favorite book is a Golden Son by Pierce Brown--the second book in the Red Rising trilogy. Golden Son beat the second book syndrome by a landslide. I happen to think that it was the best of the trilogy. It was incredibly well-written, paced, plotted, and imagined. I can’t describe to you the scenes that Pierce Brown created without drooling--they are that beautiful. That being said, do I worry that Hollywood could ruin a fantastic book like they did with Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief? (Or the atrocity that dare not be named--Avatar: the Last Airbender?) Yes, of course I worry.

But still. I love this book so much (and others for that matter) that I get excited to hear that it has the chance to be redone in any new medium. Mostly because it gives me a chance to fangirl all over it again.

Generally speaking, I’m always really happy when a book becomes a movie because it gives others the chance to witness its greatness.

4. Sc-Fi or High Fantasy, which do you prefer, and why? 

Although I love a good sci-fi any day of the week, I would say my one true love is fantasy. There’s something about castles, magic, and mythical creatures that are able to draw me in unlike anything else. The aesthetic of fantasy is appealing to me, but I think the thing that really makes fantasy exciting is that there can be aspects of your world that defy logic. With science fiction, I feel like, more often than not, you have to explain the technology, or convince the reader that such-and-such is possible because of so-and-so reason. With fantasy, magic exists just because. No explanation or reason necessary. Not to say magic can’t have rules. On the contrary, it has to have rules in order to be believable. But, the core of your fantasy world, the magic system, and all its rules exist in a realm that is unlike anything we can imagine, not because it’s in another part of the galaxy or it’s technology that hasn’t been invented yet, but because it just is.

5. In 5 words please describe your book.

“Weaponized Kisses Versus True Love”

6. To end our interview can you tell us, what your working on next?

I always have a few projects going on at once, so I’ll just go with what I am currently drafting. It is a middle grade sci-fi that is inspired by the recent reboot of Voltron: Legendary Defender on Netflix. The twist? It’s pretty much an all-female cast where the pilots are young girls. In this book, I’m trying to take the all-girl power team trope like Sailor Moon and place them in a setting that’s been dominated by males: space piloting. Think of Gundam Wing for girls!  

About the Author

Lindsey Duga is a middle grade and young adult writer with a passion for fantasy, science fiction, and basically any genre that takes you away from the real world. 

She wrote her first novel in college while she was getting her bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University.

Other than writing and cuddling with her morkie puppy, Delphi, Lindsey loves catching up on the latest superhero TV show and practicing yoga.

Website | Twitter | Instagram| Goodreads | Facebook

Tour Schedule

June 25th

Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

June 26th

Book Slaying- Review & Favorite Quotes

The Clever Reader- Q&A

June 27th

Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Guest Post

Library of a Book Witch- Review

June 28th

Flyleaf Chronicles- Review

Velvet Spade Reads- Review & Favorite Quotes

June 29th

Rambling of A Book Nerd- Q&A

The Reading Corner for All- Review

June 30th

Jill’s Book Blog- Review

Sincerely Karen Jo- Review & Favorite Quotes

July 1st

The Reading Faery- Creative Option

Donnie Darko Girl- Review

July 2nd

Vicarious Bookworm- Review & Favorite Quotes

The Lovely Books- Review

Book Lady's Reviews- Review

July 3rd

BookCrushin- Creative Option

Rattle the Stars- Guest Post

July 4th

F A N N A- Review

The Book Dutchesses- Review

Lisa Loves Literature- Review

July 5th

The Bibliophagist- Review & Favorite Quotes

Blog Tour & Review: Superheroes Suck by Jamie Zakian

Superheroes Suck

by Jamie Zakian

Welcome to Gemini City, where super-battles disrupt rush hour, insurance claim adjusters rival rock stars, and villains stash the souls of murdered superheroes inside little children.

It’s been ten years since Shay Sinclair’s parents were murdered by a super villain, leaving she and her sister to fend for themselves. Now at age sixteen, Shay has something that villain wants. Something he needs. After a chance encounter with a superhero in a stairwell, something awakens in Shay, something that could get her killed.

Max Steel has spent the last ten years searching for one particular soul. Now, a coincidental run-in with Shay Sinclair leaves Max closer than he’s ever been to everything he’s ever wanted. But Max hits a brick wall when he goes after her. Unlike other girls her age, Shay isn’t into superheroes. So, if Max wants to win her over and be reunited with the soul inside her, he must get creative. He invites Shay into a seductive world of fame, glamour, luxury, and epic battles with villainous foes.

Now that Shay’s in the mix with superheroes and crazed villains, everyone wants a piece of her. A super villain wants to devour her soul, a superhero wants to love her, and Shay just wants to go back to her normal life. It’s not like in the movies. In real life, superheroes suck.

Links: Google Play | Chapters | Indies | Amazon US | Amazon UK| B&N | Kobo | TBD

My Thoughts...

Where do I begin..I knew this book was about Superheroes but WOW! This book is full of drama, drama, drama ugh! Shay our main character, is your awkward teenager who lives with her older sister after their parents were tragically killed. But they live in a world where superheroes exist, and everyone knows it! But these superheroes are a major nuisance to everyone in Gemini City...they cause a crap ton of property damage, and people's lives are endangered all the time. Evie Shay's older sister and guardian deals with property damage and is sick of the superheroes hurting people and their businesses with no consequences for the them. Honestly I was not expecting the main characters to have some much animosity towards superheroes because well they're superheroes....Shay hates the superheroes because they killed her parents but that changes once she meets Max the superhero.. and realizes that they are just like regular people..Also Shay reminds Max of his dead superhero girlfriend...I loved the pacing of the book, and the character development. I found myself caring for the superheroes more than I thought I would. I am recommending this book to everyone!! 4.5/5!

About the author 

Jamie Zakian is a full-time writer who consumes the written word as equally as oxygen. Living in South Jersey with her husband and rowdy family, she enjoys farming, archery, and blazing new trails on her 4wd quad, when not writing of course. She aspires to one day write at least one novel in every genre of fiction.

Website | Facebook | Twitter |Goodreads

The Book Lover's Tag(1)

I found this tag online and I thought it would be fun to do! This tag is originally from another very pretty reading and other lovely things based blog called 

Of Reading and Random Things

1. Do you have a specific place for reading?
Melissa: Anywhere and everywhere
Jessica: Quiet places or my room mainly..

2. Bookmarks or random pieces of paper?
Melissa: Both but mainly scraps of paper
Jessica: I like to dog ear my book pages..

3. Can you just stop anywhere or must it be at the end of the chapter?
Melissa: It depends on the book.
Jessica: I literally stop reading anywhere! Unless I'm really into the book..

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?
Melissa: I drink while reading but I can only eat and read if I'm reading a comic or graphic novel.
Jessica: Possibly have a drink but I like to focus on my food...

5. Music or TV while reading?
Melissa: It depends for music but I can not read while the tv is on.
Jessica: Definitely music, I have no idea sometimes how I can even focus..

6. One book at a time or several?
Melissa: One book at a time..maybe two but no more than that.
Jessica: I am always reading several books at once! Just don't ask me to explain the plots...

7. Do you prefer to read at home or elsewhere?
Melissa: I can read anywhere really. I don't care where.

Jessica: Mainly home but I'm open to reading in public places I just get distracted everywhere else..

8. Read out loudly or silently?
Melissa: Both -__-
Jessica: I read silently, unless I read a shocking scene/chapter and have to read it out loud to understand what is happening better....

9. Do you read ahead or skip pages?
Melissa: No reading ahead or skipping pages I hate spoiling the book for myself.
Jessica: Truly depends on the book, sometimes I will reward myself by skipping ahead to the end of the book..and then picking back up where I stopped!

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
Melissa: Breaking the spine. Books are meant to be enjoyed and well loved.
Jessica: BREAK THE SPINE! I mean did I really enjoy the book if the spine isn't broken..

11. Do you write in your books?
Melissa: Sometimes...
Jessica: Naw..unless I'm giving the book away maybe or donating the books. I will leave a quote on the inside cover..

12. What book are you reading now? Melissa: A lot of comics.
Jessica: Nobody knows my name by James Baldwin,and apparently I'm into comics too! I picked up quite a few from my library run recently...

13. Favorite childhood book?
Melissa: If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Jessica: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

14. All time favorite book?
Melissa: The realm of Possibilities By David L 

Jessica: Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

You can share your thoughts about my answers in the comments, or fill out this book tag yourself – let me know if you do. Happy reading and book tagging! 

Reveiw: Daughters of Ruin

Title: Daughters of Ruin
Author: Castner, K . D
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres : Fantasy, Young Adult

Meet rumor with quiet, treason with cunning, and vicious with vicious.

Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren have lived together since they were children. They are called sisters. They are not. They are called equals. They are not. They are princesses. And they are enemies.

A brutal war ravaged their kingdoms, and Rhea’s father was the victor. As a gesture of peace, King Declan brought the daughters of his rivals to live under his protection—and his ever-watchful eye.

For ten years they have trained together as diplomats and warriors, raised to accept their thrones and unite their kingdoms in peace. But there is no peace among sisters, and all plans shatter when the palace is attacked. As their intended future lies in ashes, Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren must decide where their loyalties lie: to their nations, or to each other.

Alliances shift and the consequences are deadly in this stunning fantasy debut from K. D. Castner.

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From the moment that I read the saw the cover and read the synopsis of DAUGHTERS OF RUIN, I knew that I absolutely had to read it! So with this being said I it's a bit of a bummer that I was left confused if I liked it, honestly it was a bit lack luster there at the end.

The four princesses were Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren. Rhea was the princess whose kingdom they were all living in, and she was always frustrated because she didn’t know why the other girls didn’t like her.As the girls age and train together, they each grow powerful and tough; some of them are also hiding secrets. When an attack on the palace during a ball occurs by the supposed residence, each girl must decide who to trust. Rhea and Suki were my least favorite princesses and my favorite princess was Iren and I thought Cadis was alright.The story is written from the perspective of each of the four Queens in turn and is pretty interesting. Some of the POV's are better than other but all in all I enjoyed the multiple perspective.

The cover is absolutely freaking gorgeous!!!I love love love it.I love the potential this book had more than the story itself.If there will be a sequel, I just want it to be about Iren and Cadis. Or or the sequel to focus way less on Rhea and Suki. 2.5/5

Can't-Wait Wednesday(97) Surviving Adam Meade

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Surviving Adam Meade

Author:  Shannon Klare
Release Date: 8/14/2018!
Publisher: Swoon Reads

Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. What she doesn’t have is an idea for how to get rid of the local football star and womanizer extraordinaire—Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants . . .  until he meets Claire, the new girl who leaves him unnerved, pissed off, and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist . . . 


With the bite of lemon meringue pie and the sugar of sweet tea, Surviving Adam Meade is a sexy and compelling young adult novel about two strong-willed people who think they know what they want but have no idea what they need.